Sunday, July 28, 2013

Through the MOOC Darkly - Reflections on Life, Learning and the Future of Education


Saylor Speaker Series with Guest Stephen Downes. Overview of thoughts related to the future of education, looking at the idea of learning as personal develop...


Free children’s ebooks for ages 3-11 | Oxford Owl


Discover a range of children’s ebooks online in the Oxford Owl Library. Books include Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy, plus Project X and Winnie the Witch.


Study an Elementary Education Degree Online for a satisfying career


This page provides information on elementary education online degrees, what is studied in them, where you can study them, the prospects, and more ...

 

Read more at: http://onlineanddistancelearning.com/elementary-education-online-degrees



The Importance of Open Source Software and OER


Find out more about open source software and open educational resources (OER), so that you can use them in your teaching and learning.

 

Read more at: http://onlineanddistancelearning.com/open-source



Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Start your career in college teaching with an Adult Education Masters


As the name suggests, an adult education masters prepares you to work with adult learners. This might be in a college setting, in online education, military education or in corporate training - it offers plenty of career options in teaching and training.

 

This page provides information on what is studied and where you can study it: http://onlineanddistancelearning.com/adult-education-masters



A Must See Graphic on Creative Commons for Students



"Creative Commons is a non-profit that helps sharing and reuse of creativity and knowledge via free legal and technological tools . These tools are not alternatives to copyright laws, rather they work alongside them.

To help you better teach your students about Creative Commons and how it works, here is a handy graphic that visually captures the main important things students need to know about Creative commons. Enjoy"


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Teachers: Technology Encourages Student Creativity, Makes Teaching Writing Easier


Are digital tools like cell phones and social networking sites undermining students' writing skills or helping to improve them?

A new survey of teachers from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project found that most teachers involved in the survey consider technology beneficial to writing in several ways, including creativity and personal expression (78 percent), collaboration (79 percent), and the ability to share their work with a wider audience (96 percent).

However, the news wasn't all positive. Among those surveyed, 68 percent said technology makes make students more likely "to take shortcuts and not put effort into their writing."

"These results challenge in many ways the notion that students' writing skills are being undermined by their increasing engagement with digital tools and platforms," notes Kristen Purcell, associate director for research at Pew Internet, in a statement released to coincide with the report. "Teachers do have concerns that digital tools are blurring the lines between formal and informal writing and see writing skills that need improvement, but they also see the benefit of students having more people respond to their writing and the increased opportunities for expression these digital tools offer."


Read more at http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/07/16/teachers-technology-encourages-student-creativity-makes-teaching-writing-easier.aspx#Stj68Cr6aOczEPJM.99 ;



Monday, July 15, 2013

Find Out More About Online Learning


Online learning is a convenient mode of study for many people, especially those who are working and do not wish to take time off work to attend campus for their studies.

Find out more about online learning or elearning - using audio and video-conferencing, email, chat, and completing an online degree or certificate by distance.

 

Read more at: http://onlineanddistancelearning.com/about-online-learning



Special Education Programs Online | Online and Distance Learning


Special education programs online - how they prepare teachers of students who are learning disabled, developmentally challenged, or gifted and talented.

 

Read more at: http://onlineanddistancelearning.com/special-education-programs-online



Sunday, July 7, 2013

One MOOC professor won't let students know the right answers | Inside Higher Ed


"Some students taking free classes from Coursera may never know the right answers. A University of Michigan professor teaching one of the company's massive open online courses, or MOOCs, told students this week he could not provide them with correct answers to questions they get wrong because doing so would reduce efficiency.  The professor’s decision is prompting additional questions by critics of MOOCs about their ability to provide quality teaching..." --Ry Rivard



Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/05/one-mooc-professor-wont-let-students-know-right-answers#ixzz2YDfNowYO ;
Inside Higher Ed



Top 8 Web Tools for Teacher's Professional Development ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning


"I have been recently posting about teacher's professional development using web technologies and each time I do I would get emails asking for the tools I use personally.  I compiled a list of the top 8 platforms I use almost daily for expanding my knowledge and staying updated about the topics that interest me the most.

 Being a graduate researcher in the field of educational technology and from my own experience of several years  blogging in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, I highly recommend the tools below and I personally view them as the most important platforms for growing professionally."



Be special with a Special Education Doctorate


Special education programs at doctoral level provide an excellent means to obtain the requisite knowledge and skills, and to qualify for any aspect of this rewarding area. 

Find out about special education doctoral programs online and how they can prepare you for a most rewarding career. This page provides more detail about the programs and where you can take them.

 

Read more at: http://onlineanddistancelearning.com/special-education-doctoral



Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Curation for Learning Means Falling in Love with a Body of Knowledge


"Yesterday during the Vice Chancellor's Teaching and Learning Conference at Plymouth University, I presented a think piece with Oliver Quinlan.   The thrust of our thinking is that students..."



Social Media and Social Software


Find out more about social media and social software, including: blogs, podcasts, photo-sharing, video-sharing, making internet TV, and other social media.

 

Read more at: http://onlineanddistancelearning.com/social-media



The 7 Habits Of Effective Connected Educators


Effective educators who use technology also think ahead. They think two steps ahead, actually. That means they figure out what the connected classroom will look like 1, 2, even 5 years from now. Then they respond. They understand that it may be all about Apple iPads right now, but that doesn’t mean that’s the best option for their classroom. For example, what if iPads fall out of favor and instead a free tablet or no tablet at all is the answer. It’s all about thinking ahead.

That’s the idea behind this awesome visual. Do you exhibit all 7 habits?

 

Read more at: http://www.edudemic.com/2013/07/the-7-habits-of-effective-connected-educators/



10 TED Talks Perfect For the eLearning Industry


Bring on the eLearning revolution! What do you think of open-source learning? What can eLearning developers learn from kids? Would you teach in the 100 000-student classroom? What have you learned through online education?

The idea behind TED is that the power of inspirational talk will change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. In the following 10 TED Talks you will find fascinating ideas worth spreading, and that are perfect for the eLearning Industry.

 

Read more at: http://www.thetrainingroomonline.com/10-ted-talks-perfect-for-the-elearning-industry/